The Covenant of the Stones
by HolyDragoon
Summary: The kindness of two young boys managed to set the gears in motion. Rise young man, and become legend? Legend is pushing it a bit too far... but at least you can learn something... with the Gutsy Galaxy Guard itself! Now everybody, Gao! Gai! Gar! START!
1. Rescue

**Disclaimer: GaoGaiGar, Evangelion, I'm not their owner.**

**Oh gods. Gai Shishioh, meet Shinji Ikari. **

**Mission 1: START!**

* * *

The boy awakened again, only to see the same surroundings as before. He noted the lights were dimmer, and he...

… he was having trouble breathing. Not that it bothered him. **"Life support... this is it, then. Maybe... it is better this way."**

Fate, however, decided to disagree with the boy's thoughts. And it did so by having a certain entity kick a certain purple giant right in the crotch. Inside, Shinji Ikari suddenly snapped from his depressed state, repressing the urge of shrieking form the feedback pain.

The entity wasn't quite done, though. She slapped the Evangelion's helmet repeatedly, while giving the pilot a few pieces of her mind. **"You wimp, you actually thought of laying down and waiting for death? Are you stupid or something? Oh, please, somebody put some sense in this guy's brain!"**

Her request was granted by a certain soul, finally freed from a long lethargic state. Yui Ikari quickly realized she should act fast, as the thing she cherished the most was dangerously close to being lost forever. **"Shinji,"** she whispered, saddened by her inability to actually touch him, to give him a tight, warm hug, **"don't give up. Please."**

The azure-eyes boy completely forgot about his pain, as he frantically searched in his mind for the source of that voice in his mind. It was her. After all this time, he could actually hear her voice once again. **"Mother... where are you?"**

She gently poked his mind once again, trying to make him realize the obvious. **"Right at your side, son. And above, and below..." **As the boy realized the meaning of her words, the doctor could barely suppress a giggle.**"Right. I was with you all the way from the beginning."**

For the first time in his life after arriving at Tokyo-3, Shinji felt true happiness, and a pang of guilt. The thing he hated the most turned out to hold one of the few persons who genuinely cared about him. Suddenly, his first battle made sense. That reaction after he went unconscious, it wasn't the trashing of a berserk being, it was the fight of a mother defending her kin. **"Mother... I... you are right. I can't give up. Not now, but what about the life support?"**

A new presence was felt on the mind of Shinji. Strong like a thousand flames and deep like a black hole. **"You idiot, you never though about the reason you can actually breathe better now?" **

The Evangelion pilot turned his head, only to find the girl staring, not at the Eva, but at the place where his Entry Plug should be. **"Who are you? How can you be here, inside the Angel?"**

The girl blinked twice, astonished. **"Oh my, you really ARE stupid. Let me tell you a small story." **She seemed to sit in mid-air, and took a deep breath, before starting her tale. **"Long, long time ago, a certain being decided to have children. One of those children was able to go here and there, you know, travel through dimensions and stuff. It was a good life, but that children knew one day she would have to return to her father. It was all fine and stuff," **she said with an annoyed face, **"but I digress. One day, that girl found two nice young boys, who thought her a valuable lesson. Suddenly, the objective of returning to her father wasn't that fun any more, mostly because it involved a genocide."**

The pilot looked at the girl, mouth wide open. **"You are an Angel?" **

The girl nodded, with a smirk on her face. **"Ah, looks like you aren't that stupid then. Yes, I am, ****or at least I WAS an Angel. Turns out those kind little boys decided to help me and set me free. He also asked me to find his friends and see if they were all right. Suffice to say, I fully intend to keep that promise, and I think you could also benefit from it."**

The Evangelion's eyes flashed. **"Explain, please. How could we benefit from your promise?" **

The girl chuckled. **"Apart from the possibility of giving your son a happy life, getting out of that giant AND saving the Earth? I dunno."**

Inside her little world, the good doctor smiled.** "Shinji? What do you think?" **The boy bit his lower lip. The decision was already made in his heart, but he felt a pang of regret for the worries he would cause Misato and... yeah, pretty much Misato only. Sighing deeply, ha decided to go through the path his heart chose.** "All right, let's do this. You never told me your name, though."**

The girl flashed him a smile, the first one without irony. Just a pure, simple smile. **"Call me Leliel. Now, let's make some preparations before we actually leave. You can rest for a while, your mum and I will take care of everything."**

The pilot nodded, as he laid back on his chair and closed his eyes. **"Thank you, Leliel, Mother..." **he whispered, just before he fell asleep.

.

**Later, in the (late) Sol Masters Dimension... (bad pun, I know)**

.

A group of people were currently in the bridge of the J-Ark-class battleship. While the captain of the ship, Soldato J was absent from the group, due to the energy spent in the final battle, the Ship's AI, Tomoro-0117, was providing much needed processing power for the group's delicate task. An old man with a purple Mohawk lookalike scratched his chin. **"Hmm... the space where we are is contracting... slowly but surely. We are caught in a dimension pocket. Tomoro, how much time do we have before the dimension gets too small for us to fit in?"**

"**We still have 15 minutes, if the contraction speed keeps its current value. ES-Engines are down, and the chance of being able to generate enough energy to escape, even if the engines were in perfect condition would be around 0,1%." **The battleship computer replied, unable to express its own musings about the current situation.

Liger Shishioh, the old man, grimaced. **"This is it, then. Courage can only go so far, at least without the G-Stone or any other mean of transforming it into the power to give mankind the ability to write its own fate. Chief Taiga, your orders?"**

The hot blooded chief of the Gutsy Galaxy Guard crossed his arms, before replying to the professor's query. **"All that's left to do now is to spend our last minutes with our friends and closest ones. All of you... enjoy your time. This is your last mission." **Everyone nodded, before leaving the bridge of the J-Ark. The expression 'Carpe Diem' was the most adequate to describe their mood. If they were going out, then let them go out with a smile and giving the finger to the souls of the Sol Masters who trapped them there.

Of course, they knew nothing of the beings who were just outside the space bubble.

Yui Ikari, now freed of the vessel that held her soul for years, and clad in a spare plugsuit stored behind the seat (much to Shinji's surprise), was helping the new core entity in understanding its own functions as a co-pilot. While the ability to accomplish said functions was preset, the soul, a shapeless mass of thoughts by the time Yui was absorbed, and in time grew into something very close to a human, was having some problems in shaping the AT field in the form Shinji was concentrating. Leliel was sitting in the Evangelion's shoulder, whispering words of encouragement to the inexperienced soul.

Shinji himself had a hard time understanding what Leliel wanted him to do, until she reminded him of some simple things that the AT field could respect to its advantage: **"The smaller are you apply a force into, the greater is the pressure in that area. In short,"** she said back then, **"I intend to tear the wall apart in one point with brute force. Not very refined, but it works."**

"**Wait, I think I got it. Try again, please." **the soul asked. Shinji nodded, and resumed his task of thinking about a conical shaped AT-Field focused on the right hand. After a moment where nothing happened, the octagonal outline of an AT field finally started to form, warping in the desired shape and, strangely enough, spinning.

The older Ikari shook her head. **"Okay... I guess that does it. Shaping a drill is more than we asked for, but it looks like you had an easier time doing that."**

Leliel nodded in approval. **"Good job. Now, do you remember the place I indicated you?" **The Evangelion's eyes flashed, as a small tracker appeared in the Entry Plug's visual interface. **"Good. Let's punch it. If all goes well, and my senses don't betray me, they should be on the other side of this dimensional boundary."**

Both Angel and Evangelion brought their fists back, before delivering an AT-reinforced drill punch into the dimensional wall. The wall seemed to hold the brutal hit it took, but that illusion only lasted a brief moment, as the wall finally caved, revealing a shrinking space with a white ship in the centre.

Shinji felt something off, and turned his head to the place where the Tokyo-3 entrance should be. The sight before his eyes froze the blood in his veins. **"Uh... we should get out of here. The people at Tokyo-3 just emptied a bucket-load of N2 mines in your Dirac Sea."** Leliel's eyes went wide. **"Quickly, into that dimension. I can fix this wall once we get there."**

With some flashes from the AT-Field being used as a manoeuvring thruster, the former occupants of the Dirac Sea managed to enter the new dimension, effectively leaving the kill zone of the explosive devices. Extending her AT Field, the Angel joined the jagged edges of the dimensional wall, allowing them to unite again and closing the Tokyo-3 Dirac Sea, that would soon collapse in an explosive way. **"Well, guess we can't go back this way any more,"** she mused. **"Let's take the ship before this dimension collapses. I think I have another place where we can go."**

.

**Meanwhile, in the J-Ark...**

.**  
**

Tomoro snapped out of its self-diagnosis mode when he detected the new energy signatures. Wondering if the newcomers were a blessing or a curse, he activated the ship's internal communication system. **"This is Tomoro-0117, energy signatures approaching. Unable to say if they are friend or foe."**

A crackle of static later, the voice of Yui Ikari could be heard in the ship. **"J-Ark, right? Somebody asked my friend here," **the Evangelion pointed at Leliel,** "to check out on you. Can you move?"**

Soldato shook his head, forgetting that only the ship's bridge had the hardware for a visual link. **"Negative. We're effectively dead in space. I advise you to get out of here before the dimension collapses."**

A glance between Leliel and Eva-01 later, Yui's answer was heard. **"Sure, we'll get out of here quickly... but not without you. Sit back and let Unit-01 take care of your movement problems."**

The Angel nodded.** "Shinji, you heard your mother. Please get the J-Ark and move it in..." **she closed her eyes, trying to seek another weak point in the dimensional fabric,** "... there." **she said, pointing her finger to the right. The soul, always helpful, immediately marked the zone that she pointed to, giving a reference to the Eva pilot.

Inside the Entry Plug, Shinji nodded, manoeuvring the Evangelion with help from his mother about the direction he should apply the field. Meanwhile, Leliel darted to the weakness in the fabric, trying to find the exact spot to apply the AT Field. Since the hole had to fit a battleship, she couldn't do it the same way she did before, now she actually had to find a line in space that allowed her to separate the particles, instead of tearing through them. **"Hmm,"** she thought, **"this seems a good spot. Now I just need to wait for Shinji and Yui to get closer, I have no idea abut the time we will have once I open the hole."**

Meanwhile, Shinji was having some problems with moving the ship. While the Eva had a certain mass, the J-Ark's mass was way bigger, leading to Shinji's attempts at moving the battleship to be complete failures, at least until he decided to apply a stronger AT-Field. Finally, albeit slowly, the J-Ark was moving in the desired direction.

Inside the battleship, everybody was crossing their fingers. Geki Hyuuma, hearing the nervous talks of the people observing the contraction of the dimensional space, crushed a walkie-talkie (his 100th or so), and got rewarded with a mock-glare of Soldato. **"Hyuuma-san, please do not break the J-Ark's communicators. We don't have replacements for those, you know."** The muscular member of the Gutsy Galaxy Guard grinned at the comment from the Red Planet Warrior, and sat in a nearby chair. Now, everything was in the hands of their saviours.

Leliel eyes the approaching J-Ark, waiting for the time to open the hole. **'Closer, just a bit closer... Perfect!' **she thought, turning around and throwing her AT Field at the hole point.** "Shinji, hurry, it won't hold for long!"**

Hearing the Angel's request by the mental link, Shinji threw caution to the bushes and speeded up, in an urge to get to a safe zone and do it fast. Inside the ship, each crew member chose one of two sentences that reflected their state of mind. Either** "We're not gonna make it,"** or** "Shut up and let the man drive, god damn it!"**. Strangely enough, Kosuke Entouji chose the latter, and was shouting it rather hot bloodedly... right at Kazuo Ushiyama's ears, who quickly stopped his pessimistic chanting.

After what it seemed an eternity, the J-Ark entered the hole, with Leliel and Eva-01 standing in the upper deck, watching the psychedelic array of colours unfurl over their eyes, taking them to some place else, while the dimension they were finally collapsed.

In the Other Side, the 11 Sol Masters made a sound of disappointment and threw some less-than-polite comments at Eva-01 and Leliel. The result? Iruel "hacked" Palparepa's rear end with Ramiel's drill at full speed, while the 5th Angel spew death upon the other morons who though insulting an Angel right next to other Angels was perfectly acceptable. It seemed like they never noticed the big scarves and messages of **"We love Lelly"** and **"Unit-01 haz 1337 skillz."**

.**  
**

**At Tokyo-3, things were about to change...**

.**  
**

Seeing the 13th Angel going out in a blaze of N2 explosions, along with a strange show of green and red light, Gendo stood motionless, with Fuyutsuki staying in the shadows. **"It is over, Sensei. The damn kid couldn't help but mess up! Now I lost Yui!"**

A click of a gun being primed later, Gendo Ikari nearly wet his pants at Fuyutsuki's death sentence. **"You only cared for her, didn't you. You have a kid, but you sent him away like a dog. I've been waiting for this moment, Ikari. This is a new beginning. The Seer spoke, and was ignored. Her words were the right ones. The Covenant of the Stones. But you will not be alive to see the triumphant return." **His tone wasn't the one of the professor Gendo knew for many years, It was a tone of barely restrained rage at the way he treated everyone. And deep down, the commander of NERV knew his Sub-Commander was right. Which is why he made no movement, and said nothing, choosing to take his well-earned brain rape by bullet.

It was only at that moment that Fuyutsuki noticed the unshaven man who was also hiding in the shadows. **"So, one plan failed, and I guess the prophecy covers the other plan for Third Impact?"** The old man shook his head. **"The prophecy itself does not guarantee the survival of mankind, but it gives us hope. This rebellion of mine was just the first step, Mister Kaji. You know what to do now. The password is 'Return'. This will hamper the committee. And don't give me that look. I noticed a while ago that you don't work with SEELE's best interests in mind. I served for a while as a spy, too."**

The unshaven man nodded. **"It is good to see that there's still someone here who thinks straight. I'll be going then. I need to get that report ready."**

Fuyutsuki nodded.** "Thank you, Mr. Kaji. Oh, and please, could you call Dr. Akagi, Major Katsuragi and Miss Ibuki, please? I have the feeling I'll need more trustworthy people... and I guess explaining the Major about our plan is the only way to keep her from killing the good doctor."**

"**All right, I will call them. Although I must say I'm impressed. Never thought Dr. Akagi was one of playing for two sides." **Kaji admitted.

The Sub-commander chuckled. **"She played on my side all along. We just think it was too bad she had to get so intimate with that pig, but now he have a free way."** Seeing the spy's surprised face, he grinned. **"She likes older man. You really though she would hook up with Gendo?" **

Kaji let out a good-hearted smile.** "Oh, this is just great. I thought she wasn't on her right mind when I learned about it, and here you are, revealing this was all a way to lower his guard. Well done, sir, well done. Looks like I still have much to learn." **he said, before leaving.

Kozo Fuyutsuki smiled, as he looked through the glass.** "Don't worry Mr. Kaji, this comes with age."** If all things went well, SEELE would take a strong blow, and even if they didn't, their final project wasn't ready yet. It all amounted to a matter of timing.**'Good luck, Shinji, Yui,' **he thought,**'****It is all in your hands, now. Do not fail us.'**

**

* * *

**

**Oh no! Gendo's dead! Fuyutsuki killed him. Nooooooo... I mean, YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSS!**

**As you can see, Yui Ikari is out of her Eva, and we have a new soul on Eva-01. and Leliel met Mamoru and Kaidou, looks like it screwed up with the Dead Sea Scrolls. Oops.**

**Anyway, where is the J-Ark headed?  
**


	2. Echo of the Past

**I'm ba~aaack ^^ Sorry for the delay, I just got a bad case of college work and lazyness.**

**I own... you'll see soon enough. Nothing from GGG or Evangelion, though.**

* * *

**Tokyo-3, Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki's Office**

Operations Director Misato Katsuragi was in a foul mood. Losing her ward and Evangelion pilot was a dire blow, and the serious Sub-Commander staring at her wasn't helping too.

"**Major Katsuragi, Dr. Akagi, Miss Ibuki, I regret to inform you that Commander Ikari is dead. I am now in charge of NERV until this leadership... issue can be solved. If there wasn't a war to win, I'd open a bottle of champagne on that," **he stated, keeping his serious face even with the shocked faces of Maya and Misato.

Misato had the presence of mind to snap out of her astonishment and ask the decisive question. **"Wha- How?" **She shuddered when the old man showed his best psycho face. **"I killed him," **he said, followed by a hearty laugh from the Project E director. **"Kozo, please don't scare them even more and explain it."**

If Maya was confused before, now her mind looked like a wooden house after a hurricane. **"Explain?" **The old professor smiled again, this time not like a psycho. **"Miss Ibuki, Major Katsuragi, I'm pleased to inform you that we may have averted a disaster. Still, we have to keep on our toes. This fight isn't over yet, and we must wait a little longer. Please, read these files before I proceed," **he explained, opening a drawer and delivering to the two NERV employees a folder titled "Apocryphal Scriptures III – The Covenant of the Stones".

After some minutes reading it, both women stared blankly at Kozo. **"Is this what I think it is?" **asked Katsuragi, pointing to the folder. The professor nodded. **"This is an scripture found with the Dead Sea Scrolls detailing an encounter between some 'Braves' and a 'Guardian' that was brought there by a 'Free Wanderer'." **He sighed, before drinking a bit of water.

"**And you think... Shinji is the 'Guardian'?" **asked Maya. Fuyutsuki nodded. **"Read the last line. The colors we saw when the N2 mines detonated... That was when I found out the scripture could be the true path. Listen, the next times will be hard for NERV. There are higher powers, and they had influence over us. That's why me and Ritsuko decided to make a plan based on this document."** he ignored the gasps from the two women, while Dr. Akagi kept a serious expression. **"Right now, highly classified files regarding an organization called SEELE are being sent to a faction within the UN's Security Council. We believe the elements of that faction can shake things up to the point SEELE will have its influence diminished. If the things in the Council go well, they may even decide to vanish for a while and give us more time to prepare for a confrontation..."**

"**Yes, because they will come for blood and fulfill what they believe to be the true path. Already they are planning the construction of a mass-produced version of the Evangelions. And there are still some Angels waiting to strike... which brings us to the third person in the scripture. We do know this 'Free Wanderer' has already met Shinji, but we do not know exactly who is the Wanderer. We do know that it is an ally, freed from a 'shadow of deceit' by the 'kindness of the heirs of the Stones'." **stated Ritsuko, taking a deep breath and preparing for Misato's outburst.

The Operations Director looked to her long time friend. **"So... about what you said back there... you didn't really mean it, right? Why did you say it?" **

The bottle blond smirked. **"That's because Kozo and I were keeping an eye on Gendo for long, and we had to keep the illusion that he had everything under his thumb. I'm sorry for that, Misato."**

"**Sorry? I was willing to shoot you! And now you pull out this? I should be the one apologizing!" **the purple haired woman replied, hugging the doctor.

"**Well, it was a good thing that you didn't shoot Ritsuko there... I'd hate to arrest the interim sub-commander."** mused Fuyutsuki.

"**WHAT! Does that mean..." **Misato started, only to have her worst fears confirmed by the professor. **"Yes, no hangovers in the morning, you have to set the example now."**

"**How do you expect me to be without my fuel?" **she asked, only to meet Ritsuko's response. **"Sober."**

The whole room burst into laughter.

**In a place far away.**

"**So, where are we?" **asked Taiga, exiting the hangar door of the J-Ark and looking to the purple giant that Shinji and Yui Ikari were currently unboarding.

"**Well, it seems like a base, in the middle of a jungle..." **replied Hyuuma, studying the surroundings.

"**Wow, thank you, Captain Obvious,"** stated a not-so-amused Leliel, before looking to the structure in front of the ship. **"I know this place... the last time I was here, this jungle used to be a garden where children would play. Now... it seems everything fell apart," **she said, sadly looking to the places where she remembered seeing the children playing hide-and-go-seek, or just kicking a ball and running around.

"**Hey,"** said Shinji, approaching the group, **"it's getting late. Should we see if we find something inside that building?"**

"**A sound idea," **answered Soldato, exiting the ship after making sure Renais was still resting. He was the captain of the J-Ark, after all, and he couldn't just stay idly while other took care of everything. **"It would be perfect if we could find some supplies to survive in this place and repair J-Ark... and the Braves."**

"**If you may... I'd like to go with you. The Evangelion sustained some damage as well in the way back, and I'm the best person to see what could be used to fix it." **stated Dr. Ikari, looking to the damaged armor of the Eva and the cracked helmet, currently missing its faceplate and giving the Gutsy Galaxy Guard elements and J a show of creepy proportions.

"**Yeah... That may be for the best..." **nodded Hyuuma. **"No offense, but that face gives me the creeps..."**

Yui laughed. **"None taken. It was designed as a weapon to fight a mightier enemy. The situation has changed though, so I think the repairs come in handy."**

Meanwhile, Shinji was frowning at the entrance of the superstructure. Something looked different since the last time.** "Say... was that arrow there the last time we looked?" **Surprised by the question, everybody looked to the building. **"No, it wasn't... hey, where's Taiga?"**

"**Here." **the man in question replied. **"I took the opportunity to gather some people for the search team." **Besides him, Gai, Professor Liger, Entouji and Renais (which gave Soldato a hard stare) were already ready to go.

The small group walked to the entrance of the building, with Yui stopping for a moment near the Eva to give some words of support to the new co-pilot. The Evangelion's eyes flashed in appreciation from the gesture.

On the top of J-Ark, Galeon looked at the team entering the building. His mission as a protector was done, now that the Trinary System's ghosts could finally rest, but now, a new mission was arising. His eyes traveled to the figure of Leliel, sitting at his side. A question came through his mind. Leliel chuckled. **"Yeah, it is strange to worry about those three as much as I do. I could have left them there, all alone, but somehow... I decided to give them a chance. They deserved it. They're fighting not for glory, but to end this and have a peaceful life."**

Galeon made a sound that looked like an acknowledgment, before sitting for a while to ease the strain on his body. The final battle, and the hit of Goldion Crusher really strained him, even in his Genesic form. Like the three that came from Tokyo-3, he too wished there was a time where he could sit down and watch humans enjoying the peace he helped to conquer.

Then he realized something else: Did the girl really read his mind?

His answer didn't take long to come. **"Yes, I did,"** she answered, chuckling.

The mechanical lion just shook his head and resumed his observation of the building.

**Unknown Building**

The group was inside the strange building for a while now, following the holographic signs that seemed to point somewhere. Meanwhile, they looked all around, checking the architecture of the building, simple and functional, with several doors and thick glasses with geometrical patterns. Everything was silent, aside from the echoes of their steps

"**It looks like the Geofront..."** muttered Shinji, shivering. **"It is just me, or it is colder than it should be?"**

Soldato nodded.** "Yes, it is cold indeed... it looks like a storage facility. It is strange though, since this is the only structure in the entire planet. Leliel did not mention anything about this." **he said, wiping some dust from the cold stone wall.

Liger scratched his chin, frowning.** "But then... what is it storing? There is no sign of life on this planet save the ones coming from animals... who could have built this?"**

"**I think," **said Yui, checking the door where the guiding arrows were pointing,** "our answer is behind that door."**

Hyuuma walked to the door without hesitation. **"Well, what are we waiting for?" **

"**Look out, it may be..." **Taiga started, before a crashing sound was heard. Hyuuma was nowhere to be found, although he could be heard clearly. **"... a trap."**

The rest of the group entered the room, checking on a slightly pissed off Hyuuma. **"Really, what kind of idiot makes this kind of stairs?"** he said, pointing to the gaps between the steps.

A thunderous voice answered. **"MY PEOPLE DID. Oh, sorry," **the voice said, noticing the startled people. **"it has been too long since I last did a volume check. Anyway, those aren't stairs, they are transport platforms. The switch to take them out should be to your left."**

The members of the exploration group just looked to each other before pressing the switch. The platforms suddenly vanished, being replaced by a ramp, and the lights of the room suddenly turned on. A gasp was heard, as the giant room revealed itself for the first time in ages. The walls, unlike the rest of the building, were richly decorated with stones that seemed to shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow, and in the centre of the room, a hologram of a young man greeted the newcomers, the last remnant of a civilization lost long ago.

"**Welcome. I am... you can call me Echo. I am the keeper of the Stronghold. Through the eons, I've been the guardian of this place, the last fortress of the race that fought a hopeless war so other could live longer and avert the same fate. Everyone expected to die, and even the infants were slaughtered."**

Taiga shuddered at the thought of such cruel acts. **"And who could have done such a terrible deed? What kind of animal slaughters even the ones that cannot defend themselves? And… how could they be so sure the ones they were protecting would avert that fate?"**

Echo lowered his head, his voice heavy with sorrow. With a wave of his holographic hand, the walls showed images of a burning land, the skies stained with red and black circles and in the centre of it, seven humanoid forms surrounded a bigger one, which was sprouting twelve wings of light like lightning in the skies. It would seem like a last hope, yet their empty, black eye sockets betrayed the true nature of the destroyers.

Shinji swallowed dry. The central figure resembled an Eva too much for his comfort. At his side, Yui frowned, uttering a single word. **"ADAM."**

Everybody turned to her, awaiting her explanation. In his heart, Shinji felt he knew the true nature of that destroyer.

"**The central giant of light… That being was what caused Second Impact. Fourteen years ago… a giant was discovered encased in ice in the South Pole of our Earth. An expedition was sent to study the site, and they found an artifact resembling a spear. Second Impact itself was caused when the team sent to the site was studying the strange reaction the being encased in ice have in the vicinity of the lance."** The scientist took a deep breath before resuming her explanation. **"There are some people that were interested on that Impact to happen, but it is clear to me now that ADAM wanted it to happen… if it weren't for the interference of someone. ADAM needed to touch the lance to recover his full power… he touched it alright… the lance pierced him and created a large space where all live simply… vanished. Earth's geography was reshaped with the rising of the sea levels… the survivors of the event ravaged earth once again, and nukes were detonated in some of the major cities on the planet. Still, it turned out to be the better scenario. This is where my story, and the story of the Evangelion begins."**

"**Ah, yes. The Evangelion. Quite an interesting being, I reckon."** The keeper of the fortress mused. **"I've watched it since it arrived… somehow, it is similar to the Destroyer, yet it is different. It does not feel hostile, and I feel a curious something learning the ways of the world."** He sighed fondly, before facing the exploration group. **"Today… today is the day I wish my creators were here to see, as their sacrifice turned out not to be in vain. Today… is the day where the gifts they stored here are finally granted to the warriors. If I was still made of flesh and bone, I'd cry with happiness. Feel free to come inside. You have come a long way, and you need repairs to your warriors. Their bodies are broken, but their hearts burn strong. The Trinary System did a great job with the Stone Essences, and now, this legacy will give them a new chance to fight for their beliefs. About the Evangelion… "** his eyes seemed to wonder around, checking something that was not quite there, before he nodded and smiled. **"… yes. They thought about everything. I hope you don't mind a new paint job, though."**

"**Yeah, another pink robot would be quite funny,"** mused Liger, only to meet Yui's stare. **"No, he's not going to be clad in pink, Professor Liger. It was hard enough to swallow the current color scheme. Of all colors... combining purple and green? I thought they were joking."**

"**To be fair... even Tomoro said the color choice wasn't the best." **Soldato muttered, and the other members of the group nodded in agreement.

"**Well, I was thinking on... purple and golden. I think it will give the Evangelion a regal look." **said Echo, showing a preview hologram of the re-armored Eva. Shinji studied the new helmet intently. **"A lion's head and mane? Why does it look familiar to me?" **

"**It is like the helmet in Genesic GaoGaiGar, but the faceplate looks like the one your Evangelion missed." **said Taiga, with an expert eye. **"I say it looks good. The lion shows well the courage you have."**

Shinji lowered his head... **"I'm not brave... I just..."**

His words were stopped by Soldato.** "Shinji, tell me, why did you decide to pilot the Evangelion?" **The boy looked to the Red Planet warrior. **"Because Ayanami was injured, and Father would send her to fight anyway."**

"**Don't forget that time where you dived into a volcano to save Asuka, took the blows to protect your friends, or when you dived into the volcano, or when you burned your hands opening your sister's Plug... did I mention he dived into a volcano with no protection just to save another pilot?" **quipped Yui, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Renais looked at the young pilot, obviously amused. **"Well, what would it take for you to admit you are brave? Punch God in the face and kill him with your little finger? As much as you don't want to acknowledge it, it seems to me that you risk your life to keep others safe."**

"**Well, the majority wins. You are brave, end of story. Now, let's get back and get our stuff in so we can start the repairs."** said Hyuuma, putting his hand on Shinji's shoulder.

Echo closed the hologram, before nodding to the group.** "Allow me to help you." **With a flick of his wrist, they felt the whole building shaking as they say some of the walls lifting and giving way to glass, as the whole building rose from it's position and presented to the J-Ark a massive entrance buried underground until that moment. **"This is a stronghold,"** he said, **"a space stronghold. Welcome to the _Paladin_, the last gift of the Ancients, made to support the Guardian and the Braves. Please, make your repairs, and feel free to ask me about anything regarding this planet. Just don't go too much outside, one of the Reapers might be coming here, since the liftoff of this ship is bound to attract some attention."**

"**Wait, who are the Reapers?" **asked Hyuuma. Again, the screen with the beings of light showed again, with small markers identifying the Reapers. **"They are the Reapers, abominations spawned from that... thing. After he left, they still roamed around. They never bothered this fortress, though, as they though this was but a relic."**

"**Those..." **Taiga gritted his teeth in rage. Soldato looked way calmer, but his voice betrayed the burning fury of the soldier. **"Murderers... life is sacred..."**

"**It is not my fight... but I... I... I won't run away. I will bring them down, it is the least I can do for those who left this so we could have some hope." **Shinji said, clenching his fist and staring intently at the figures.

His mother ruffled his hair. **"Shinji... you are right, son. I will help you and your Evangelion I will need Echo's help, though."**

Echo nodded. **"Consider it granted, Miss Ikari, but you don't have to fight them."**

Gai stepped forward, his left hand glowing green from his Evoluder powers. **"If Shinji wants to fight them, then he will not fight alone. If Galeon agrees, then I will fight at his side." **

Renais and Soldato looked at each other and nodded.** "The J-Ark will aid Shinji as well." **they stated resolutely, holding each others hands and making their stones glow as well.

Taiga nodded. **"Then it is set. If Gai goes to battle, the whole Gutsy Galaxy Guard shall follow. We will honor the sacrifices made long ago for the sake of the future, and lay the ghosts of the braves of this planet to rest."**

By this time, Echo had his holographic mouth wide open. **"Will you do it? Fight for someone you never knew, and against enemies you know little about?"**

The whole group faced him, and replied in one, sound voice.** "Yes."**

The keeper of the fortress smiled. **"Thank you. All of you. I will give you every last bit of information I have about them. Just... be sure to save one for the **_**Paladin**_**'s guns, I want to give them some payback with interest."**

"**Rest assured, we will," **said Gai, watching as the hangar doors closed with the J-Ark safely inside.

* * *

**Aaaaand, they're safe, and... oh, looks like Shinji is growing a spine. Let's see the effect that being around guys who are literally powered by courage will have on him. Expect lots of shouts and balls of cast iron in the future, I assure you.**

**Also... Proposal! Who wants to design a sketch of the Lion Eva-01, the _Paladin_ and Echo? I want to see you drawing them!**

**Well, see ya... sooner then it took to write this chapter, I hope. :)**


	3. The Forge and the Renewal

**And here I am again... delays, laziness, college.**

**Disclaimer still applies, yadda yadda... *sigh***

* * *

_**Paladin**_**, Hangar Bay**

** "... Hmm, how are we going to fit this into it..."** mused Liger, scratching his chin. Yui Ikari sat besides him, tapping the table with a pencil, while surveying the installment operations.

Unit 01 stood before them, currently held in place by two giant manipulators grabbing firmly the shoulders, while a third manipulator removed the damaged pieces of armor from the purple behemoth. In a rack nearby, the new helm was laying, looking like it was just manufactured deep in the insides of the giant ship, but still lacking the final colors. The paint would only be applied after the old bits of armor were removed.

Turning her head from the operations, the doctor looked again to a model of the Evangelion. While describing the nature of the GGG new ally, Liger suggested that the 5-minute time limit, while understandable giving the Post-Impact tech restrictions, well... sucked. Fortunately, now they were, as the GGG scientist stated "Cooking with Gas", and with some G-Crystal shards, parts manufactured with the _Paladin_'s internal facilities, and a bit of help from Gai and Galeon, they managed to create the successor to the Ul-Tech Engine, the G-Crystal Engine. Said engine was also planned to be installed in all the Brave Robots, apart from the Genesic Machines and Galeon, now awakened to its full potential.

**"Hmm... How about we split this block," **Yui said, pointing to the Engine's main power transmitter, **"into individual pieces for each power receiver? No wait, that would be too big... unless we could place it right next to the core walls..." **

Liger blinked twice, before his lips formed into a wide grin **"I was about to propose the same thing, but with a twister. How about we unite the three transmitters and create a buffer to get some energy overcharge? The energy flows are synergistic, that's the reason behind the Symmetrical Docking System."**

Yui blinked, before she threw her hands in defeat. **"Now you went out of my league. The only problem I have with that is the initial output. Until we charge the buffer, the engine output will be reduced."**

The older scientist grinned. **"Thought about it as well. The buffer will be charged on the first activation. After that, the output is regulated to never drain the buffer. Anyway, the G-Crystal has a stronger base output than any of its base predecessors, even without the overcharger."**

Shinji's mother nodded. **"Okay then, sounds great. Now we just have to wait for the Engines to be produced and start working on that. How are the other Braves?"** She asked. Since the first moment she saw their broken remnants, she couldn't help but to respect them and their deeds.

Liger sighed. **"It was a close call, but their AI cores were intact. Echo provided us a place to hook them up and let them be online while we rebuild and refit their bodies." **He turned his gaze to the hangar. **"Goldymarg will take some more time, though. We'll have to build a new body for him from the ground up, but that won't be a problem. By the way, what's with the shoulder pylons?"**

** "The shoulder pylons... they're mostly there for support, holding smaller or built-in weapons, or even serving as hardpoints to place extra batteries there." **

** "Hmm," **mused Liger doing his trademark chin scratching, **"That gives me an idea. Are the Evangelions flight-capable?"**

The scientist shook her head. **"No, Evangelions have support craft for aerial transportation... although AT-field assisted flight isn't impossible."**

** "Hmm, then it is a matter of skill, not a technical impossibility. Okay. We could modify those pylons to hold bigger weapons there. How about a big, and I mean BIG, sword?" **he asked, spreading his arms to emphasize the scale he was talking about.

**"Giant robot-sized katana? I like that. There were plans for that in NERV, but they were... 'mysteriously' disposed of. He never... approved my fondness for Kendo. But I don't want to talk about it. Back to the plan, then?"**

.

Meanwhile, in the _Paladin's_ bridge, the pilots of the GGG and the Evangelion crew were observing their surroundings through the big windows outside, while the Brave Corps AI's, now hooked up to a communication system, were performing their self-diagnostic process before activating for the first time since the last battle against the Sol Masters.

**"So, Leliel,"** Echo said, **"It has been a while, old friend. I was but a small child when I met you, do you remember?"**

The Angel chuckled. **"How could I forget the little boy you were back then?" **Suddenly, her smile faded from her lips. **"How can I forget those happy faces from happier times? Yvonne, Miki... how could I forget about them."**

Shinji bit his lip, obviously worrying about the mood of his friend. **"Leliel," **he started cautiously, nearly losing the will to speak when she turned around and showed him a deep frown. **"um... I... uh... y-you shouldn't be like that. What happened, it wasn't your fault. Could you have done anything to stop it back then?"**

** "The young boy here speaks the truth," **stated Echo,** "there is only one... entity to blame for this tragedy. The time we spent with you was the moments we cherished the most near the end. No one deemed you guilty of anything... Big Sister Lelly."**

To the boy's relief, the girl's frown faded as she nodded. **"Big Sister Lelly... I haven't heard that one for a long time... you are right... I should leave my regrets behind. I may have come from... ADAM,"** she corrected, pronouncing the name of the Angel like it was some foul profanity** "but that changed. He is the one to blame, and brooding for the ones who passed away already will not bring justice faster. Thank you for reminding me of that."**

** "Uh... you're welcome?" **the Evangelion pilot replied, directing his gaze to a nearby window, mainly to hide his blushing. Of course, everyone else in the room noticed, but they decided not to embarrass him further.

** "Hey, I've got an idea, how about we tell them how things were in our time?"**

Leliel nodded.** "Sounds good to me, but there are not many landmarks here now... remembering the right places will be a bit difficult."**

Echo chuckled, before summoning a holographic map to the bridge's table.** "I did not spend all this time idling around. I kept track of the changes and what happened for all these years. It is a bit boring, yes, but it was... fascinating to see some life returning." **His voice was getting lower and lower, until it was barely louder than a whisper.** "But not all of it."**

** "... Just like Second Impact. I understand now the faces of the grown-ups now. They too carry the burden of seeing so many lost." **Shinji shook his head.

Nobody dared to speak, casting a depressing mood on the whole bridge... or so it would seem, before a cheerful voice cracked the ice and brought joy to the hearts of the veteran Guardians.

**"Hello again, my Friends! Mic Sounders the 13****th**** is back!"**

.

**Tokyo-3, Geofront Evangelion Cages**

.

** "Oi, lower it carefully, okay?" **shouted the newest engineer on the place. Fruit of a joint cooperation between European Union countries after Second Impact, the 25 years-old Oberon Masters was one of the leading investigators of the post-Impact scientific community. His tanned skin, unnatural for a British, betrayed his time abroad, mainly in some of the hotter areas of the globe, aiding in the reconstruction works, like the construction of the water refinement plant on Qatar, now serving as the primary water source of every population in a radius of 200km. That, added to his gray eyes and blond hair, assured that many heads in the female population turned to see the town's newest bishounen.

Fuyutsuki had contact with him a few years earlier, when he was just a 18 years-old college freshman, and back then he was impressed by his quick thought and, above that, his motivation to carry on 'for the time to come' as he stated to him once.

Of course, after sending Gendo on a one-way trip to the Court of Souls, Fuyutsuki felt he needed that motivation and the genius that carried it.

Clearing his throat, the elder scientist couldn't help but pause in amazement at the weapon he saw before his eyes. An honest-to... err...god anti-baryon rifle. That youngster, in just a few months, dared to go further than NERV or even SEELE dared. Not only he managed to harness the power of anti-matter, he managed to control in one weapon all kinds of anti-particles that could be found. **"This is unnerving, to say the least," **he finally stated.

The engineer turned around to face him, bringing two fingers to his forehead in a very informal salute. **"Professor Fuyutsuki, good to see you here. Came to see NERV's newest gear?"**

** "And to say hello to a friend. I'm surprised to see you managed to assemble this weapon that fast... are you sure it will work?"**

** "Honestly, it is a gamble. Theoretically, the weapon is safe to fire, but given the output of this monster, I doubt we could test it effectively without... rearranging the landscape." **the young British sighed. **"Also, we're pretty much playing... God here. Dealing with anti-matter is serious business. If we hadn't to fight for our survival, I'd never dare to even advance the theory to build this."**

Fuyutsuki rested a hand on the engineer's shoulder. **"There may come a day where Mankind may leave their weapons to rust, but until then, we have to assure it stays alive to do that... and pray that it happens in our lifetime."**

** "Agreed. It looks like everything is done here, so how about we hit the bar to eat something? I've been up since 5:30AM and hadn't time to eat a thing. Right now, I think I'd be able to eat an Eva-sized cow."**

The elder chuckled. **"Still a big eater, I see. Come on, then, I'm in the same boat as you. For great justice, with a side of sake!"**

Oberon blinked twice. **"What." **Seeing the NERV commander walking to the exit, the younger engineer shook his astonishment and ran to catch his superior. **"Aah, wait, please Professor!"**

.

** Meanwhile, at one of the Tokyo-3 schools...**

.

** "Hey, Ayanami, did Shinji give some news?" **Kensuke asked for the one hundred and forty-third time since that school day begun.

Once again, the blue-haired pilot gave the same answer, for the one hundred and forty-third time. **"No, Shinji has not given any news. Given that the base is isolated both geographically and transmissions are kept to a bare minimum, it does not surprise me. You will have to wait until he is given clearance to send a message to NERV."**

The Otaku sighed once again. Asuka was... well, Asuka. Hell would have to freeze over and an Angel would have to alleviate its intestinal afflictions on him before he tried to get some info on Shinji from him. Rei, on the other hand, seemed to have defrosted a bit sine the last Angel battle, but her icy walls were still there, unbreakable and unreadable. Either way, he and Touji were in the dark.

**"Relax Kensuke. I'm sure Shin-man is alright. Heck, if Misato's looks can be applied to all officers on NERV and given his luck, he must be surrounded by chicks." **Touji's eyes were currently on a teenager's dreamland, and a thin line of blood was currently flowing down form her nose.

**"I do not see why Shinji should be currently surrounded by chicken hatchings, Suzuhara. Also, you seem to suffer from a slight case of epistaxis. I advise you to see the nurse."**

** "Epiwhat?" **the confused stooge asked.

**"Epistaxis, Touji. Nosebleed."** Kensuke explained.

**"Since when you became so smart, Stooge?" **A curious Asuka asked, approaching the other three students while glaring at Touji's nose. **"And why is the other Stooge bleeding from his ****nose? Perverted thoughts, huh?"**

** "It seems to be a coincidence, pilot Sohryu. As for Aida's knowledge, I noticed several times already that he demonstrated several times that he has some grasp at concepts someone his age should not possess under... normal circumstances."**

** "Yeah, right, thanks for the input... Ayanami."**

Much to the two friend's relief, the bell chose to rang at that precise moment, making the red-headed pilot turn on her heels and join her friend Hikari without saying another word. Touji, on the other hand, was now grumbling and cleaning the blood form his face with a kleenex.

The bespectacled boy, however, was still processing Rei's words. Was that a stealth compliment? **"Hey, Ayanami... thanks for the save."**

The pilot shook her head. **"It was no save, Aida. I merely pointed out the facts based on empirical experience, although I forgot to mention that your father was in the R&D department, making perfect sense that you ended up learning something from technical books. I recall someone at NERV mentioning your father has quite the extensive collection of books."**

** "Uh, right. And, uh... could you please call me Kensuke... I don't feel at ease when somebody calls me Aida."**

** "My apologies, but the only ones I treat on a first-name basis are my friends. I believe we are merely acquaintances right now."**

** "I... see. Well, thanks anyway. I'm off for lunch. See you later, Ayanami."**

.

**Undisclosed Location, somewhere in the world...**

.

**"Very well, gentlemen, I announce the start of our council. I will give the word to SEELE 03," **announced the cyclopic form of Lorenz Keel, the leader of the mysterious group of powerful man that sought dominance in unity.

The black monolith to the left of Keel, labeled only 03, cleared its throat, before beginning its intervention. **"Gentlemen, the situation is dire. We severely underestimated the capabilities of Kozo Fuyutsuki. Now we are paying the price. We managed to escape capture and retain our... secret facilities, so we can still have hope on our plan. The S****2**** Engine is finally fully functional, and the planning phase of our Mass-Produced Evangelions is finally over."**

** "If I may," **interrupted the monolith numbered 07,** "we have another problem on our hands. The apocryphal. The Covenant of the Stones. It deviates from the path, thus our victory is not assured."**

** "Rest assured,"** 03 replied, **"the apocryphal can happen and we can accomplish out mission. After all, the Keys will not disappear."**

** "Very well. What needs to be done until the next meeting?"**

Keel nodded. **"We need to rejoin our assets. Change your accounts. Prepare to move. That is all. This meeting is over. See you soon, gentlemen."**

One by one, the monoliths' lights turn off, until only Keel remains.

** "Soon,"** he says, shutting off the communications. **"Very soon."**

* * *

**Yeah, chapters are coming shorter... I wonder why... *sigh* Maybe I have to write other Ideas I have dancing on my mind to find more inspiration. Really. I must have been dancing around this chapter for a full month! Talk about lack of productivity!**

**See ya!  
**


	4. Prelude to the Storm

**Disclaimer still apllies.**

**_Wow, I'm writing another chapter. I dunno why, but things seem to be twice as hard to write on this story.  
_**

* * *

**_Paladin_, Hangar Bay**

**.**

"That's it Shinji, steady. Don't try to focus too hard, just let it come to you naturally. Trust your instincts." encouraged Yui, as she kept a careful eye on the sensors that kept watch on the Evangelion's AT-field patterns. Satisfied with the results, she turned again to the comm system. "Excellent. Now try to go forward, slowly."

Inside the remodelled Entry Plug, the young Evangelion pilot frowned as he willed the machine to go forward. It was a very strange feeling, and to make things more difficult, he couldn't lose his focus, at least until it came to him like second nature.

"Shinji, we're falling a bit to the left," warned the Evangelion's 'mind', always the useful co-pilot. The pilot quickly compensated for the deviation, making sure his unit was properly balanced. "Leo," he asked his companion, "could you handle those minor stabilization details for me? I think it would be easier that way."

"I'll keep an eye on it, then. Keep your mind on staying on the air and moving, to see if it works."

Shinji merely nodded, as he slowly let go of the finer details of his flight. To his relief, the Evangelion did not lose control, and his movements became much more fluid. Once he got the hang of that, he realized this was just like the Dirac Sea, which made him scold himself for his silliness.

"Shinji," his mother said, "I don't know what you two just did over there, but keep it up, it's perfect. Do a trip around the hangar and return to the platform, okay?"

"Understood." the raven-haired boy quipped, willing his steed forward. He could see the stares of the crews just outside, watching the armoured titan float gracefully, proudly sporting its new armour, designed by the GGG, Yui Ikari and Echo in a joint effort to make sure the former Unit-01, now fondly named 'Leo-01' by the crew, would march to its battles with the best equipment ever created.

Liger Shishioh beamed like a small kid. "Perfect control! It's even better than I dreamed of!"

"Easy there, Professor." advised Echo. "They're not using any equipment. I'll launch my fireworks when I see them flying well with a full load, although I think they'll pass the test with flying colours."

"Speaking of which, how are things going on your end?" asked Yui, turning towards the ship's AI, who grinned. "The assembly facilities are handing the last details, but give me a few days, and Leo will have the built-in weapons and the external arsenal complete."

"Sounds good to me. What about... them?"

"I've kept my distance for them. I assure you, they won't come after us at least until we're ready to take them on."

Liger scratched his chin. "Of course, we'll need a plan to handle them... any ideas on what to do when the time comes?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather discuss this when with everybody else here as well. I have a few ideas, but I'd like to have everyone's opinion on that." replied the AI, eyeing the floating mecha.

"Fair enough. It's not like I'll have to wait for much longer, too."

"True. Shinji seems to be almost done with the test. We'll be there shortly, too, okay?"

Echo nodded. "Sounds good to me. I suppose the crew doesn't need my help in handling Leo, then?"

"I'll ask them, but I don't think so. He's pretty helpful when it comes to routine checks."

"Okay then. Don't hesitate to call if you need something."

The woman nodded as she left the room, her unbuttoned lab coat billowing behind her. Liger tilted his head in amazement. "I never met someone who could make a lab coat sound so... bad-ass."

The AI sighed fondly. "I agree with you. Not to mention I kinda miss my organic body now."

"You were looking at what's beneath the lab coat, I suppose?" asked the elder Professor, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Am I that obvious? I have to admit it is kind of hard for me not to notice a woman with the looks and the brains, though."

"Nothing wrong with that Echo," Shishioh laughed, "I was just amused at your comment, that's all. You'd be the last person I'd expect a comment of that nature."

Echo rolled his eyes. "I may be an AI, but I was made by transferring all the contents of my brain into the ship's computer. I guess it is natural for me to keep... appreciating the fairer sex."

Liger snorted. "Sure thing. You may be older than me, but I have the distinct feeling that you fancy her."

The AI's eyes widened comically. The GGG scientist could swear that the hologram seemed to blush slightly as well. "I only know all of you for a month, apart from Big Sis. I think that's a bit too soon for you to say I fancy Yui."

"Hah, excuses, excuses. I'll let it slide, for now though. Our meeting should start soon, so I should get going as well."

Echo shook his head as he watched the elder scientist leave the room. 'Why do I keep slipping up like this?' he thought furiously, 'One of these days I'll end up making a mess of myself in front of her. Besides, an AI, no matter its origin, feeling attracted to a human? That's just a prologue to a sad tale.'

Meanwhile, Yui Ikari was waiting for her son to finish his shower, as the LCL bath was something they weren't able to remove from the upgraded entry plug, despite the scientists' best efforts. She understood her son's weariness regarding the liquid. While very useful, it was smelly, scared the crap out of the people who watched a plug set-up for the first time and, worst of all, purging the fluid from the lungs was hard as hell. Up until a month ago, she never thought about this last point, but after having to go through it once, she understood why her son hated that stuff.

"Mother, I'm done here." said the boy, leaving the locker room, clad on some slacks and a t-shirt, strongly resembling the clothes he wore on Tokyo-3.

"All right then, let's get going." the woman paused for a moment, noting her son's choice of wardrobe. "When we get back, remind me to take you shopping. I think you'd look better on some other clothes."

Shinji sheepishly smiled, but his smile was quickly replaced by a frown. "_If_ we get back." he said darkly.

The elder Ikari stopped the teenager on his tracks. "We _will_ get back." she vehemently said. "Don't lose faith Shinji. After all I've seen, I can't help but guess that things can only go up from now on. Have a little hope, okay?"

"I'll try."

"Fair enough," the woman smiled, "that will do for now."

**.**

**_Paladin_, Meeting Room**

**.**

"So, I guess we can begin this meeting." Taiga said, nodding to Echo. The hologram seemed to take a deep breath before starting the report. "All right, here's the situation." he waved his hand, and the holographic projector on the centre of the table they were sitting around lit up with an image of the planet. Several dots, most of them coloured red, were blinking on different points of the globe.

"This," he explained, pointing to the single blue dot, "is our current location, while the other dots are the locations where the _Paladin_'s sensors detected the presence of the Reapers. So far, we've been lucky that they did not come near us. As long as we keep our distance from them, we should have all the time we need to plan things thoroughly."

"Do we have any information on their AT-fields and capabilities?" asked Liger, studying the map carefully.

"Yes, I still have the records of that. They didn't change at all after this whole time, and they have no differences between each other."

Leliel snorted. "They still think they're on the top of the food-chain, and there's no one capable of facing them in combat."

The other looked turned their heads towards her. "It makes sense," Yui said, after trading meaningful looks with the former Angel. "they don't feel the need for evolution. From what I remember on my time within the Evangelion," she squeezed her son's shoulder, who had winced at the mention of her imprisonment, "they don't really feel the need to adapt themselves to the conditions surrounding them. They just... regenerate."

"Right, so, as long as you can surprise them, they shouldn't be able to strike you, as their instinct will be to protect themselves either with the AT-field or with some other means of protection they might have."

"That's mostly true, even Ramiel only fired at things inside a certain range... do you think we can engage these ones from far away as well?"

Leliel rubber her temples, thinking about the scientist's suggestion. "It may be possible, but I remember that Ramiel was very, very slow. I don't think these ones are as slow as him."

Yui shook her head. "Point taken."

Gai raised an eyebrow. "Even if we could, how would we do that? It's not like we have many long-range weapons, anyway."

"That's also true. Even with the _Paladin_'s internal facilities, the power requirement to defeat angels at long distance are ridiculous."

"Ahem," interrupted Echo, "what makes you thing the _Paladin_ is defenceless? The ship has several weapon systems, although I think they would be better used as support fire."

"Well, if we could neutralize their AT-field, we could use the support fire to bring them down. Then again, neutralizing the AT-field is no walk in the park anyway." muttered Shinji, remembering his different missions so far.

"True, but things should be easier now." Liger said, smiling at the young pilot. "we found out that both the G-Crystal and the J-Jewel are able to neutralize AT-fields as well, so you don't have the shoulder the whole burden. With the new engines, we shouldn't have a problem helping you bringing down their barriers."

"Speaking of which, in two days or so the new frames for the Braves should be ready. The J-Ark was an easier task, though, and we just finished installing a new J-Quath on it, not to mention the Jewel Generator we made based on the G-Crystal Engine. Regarding Leo... it should take another week or so to have the full arsenal available. So far, only the Dyrnwyn and the Magma Lance are finished and ready for deployment."

"There's not much that could be done about it," said Hyuuma, "considering that the concept prototypes for the new weapons were tested less than a week ago..."

"That much is true." agreed Echo. "I don't have anything else to say, but I think we should schedule a strategy meeting as soon as we make sure Leo is fully equipped and tested. Only then we will know what could we do to start nailing the Reapers."

The other members of the meeting looked at each other, nodding, while the AI's stated their agreement with the plan. "All right then," Echo said, "that's all for now. I'll tell you when the next meeting comes."

As the members prepared to leave the room. However, a very excited Swan White, interrupted them. "Mikoto! Mikoto is awake!" She panted, trying to recover her breath from the sprint.

For one second, the room seemed to freeze, like someone had cast a spell on them. Gai was the first to snap out of the stupor, running out of the room to get to his girlfriend, closely followed by the rest of the GGG, leaving a dumbfounded Yui, Leliel and Shinji behind.

"Wow," the teenager managed to say, "that was some fast running."

Yui shook her head. "I blinked and missed it. Good to know she's awake, though. Gai was looking a bit down. We should get going as well, no?"

The trio calmly left the room, walking leisurely towards the infirmary, two levels below.

"Leliel?" asked Shinji, "Could I ask you something?"

"You just did." replied the former Angel, grinning. "Seriously, now, what is it?"

"It's... I've been thinking... how do you manage it? You know, I've been..."

"Killing my brothers? I had a long time to think about it when those kids helped me. I realized that neither you nor they are to blame here. They were trying to do what their instinct ordered them, the _grand plan_," she said sarcastically, making air quotes with her fingers, "that my bastard father made for them. Humanity was just defending itself. In the end, things got that simple. ADAM is the only one to blame, he's the sole responsible for the deaths of my brothers. It is like you said a while ago, there was nothing that I could do to save them. Now, those who are yet to come..." she paused for a bit, before resuming her thoughts with a softer voice. "if there's a chance to save them, could you help me?"

Shinji blinked twice before answering the girl's question. "What are you planning?"

Leliel smiled. "When Mamoru and Kaidou... it's hard to explain... they didn't remove my Angel part, they changed it with their power... anyway, they also taught me how do it. If I have the chance, I want to help my brothers as well."

The blue-eyed teenager smiled. "That's good, but how can I help?"

"They told me our core was like a Zonder, whatever that is, and the core is the only thing I need to help them, so..."

"You want me to avoid hitting the core, right?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I know it is hard, but..."

Shinji took a deep breath, his eyes closed, before reaching a decision. "All right. I'll try, is that good for you?"

Leliel hugged him tightly. "Thanks." she whispered, much to the embarrassment of the boy, whose face was now tomato-red.

"Yeah, you're welcome." he stammered, watching as she... skipped down the hallway. He found that strange. Of all things, he never expected Leliel to do that. He shrugged, filing the thought that he still had a long way to go until he could state that he knew her well. He wasn't very worried about that, though, as he knew things like that should take their time to grow strong. He felt it every time he tried to make a new friend... except maybe for the ones at Tokyo-3. Then again, that city was freaky by nature, so he shouldn't worry that much with the minor oddities that happened on his social life.

'I wonder how are they doing back in Tokyo-3?' he mused to himself. Little did he know.

**.**

**Tokyo-3 School, Classroom**

**.**

"GIVE ME THAT, STOOGE!"

Toji Suzuhara knew best than to stand there watching, running away with Asuka's notebook. The German redhead chased him, yelling... something in her native tongue.

Kensuke was fairly sure she was cursing like a sailor. He cautiously turned his head towards the other pilot. "Ayanami, do you know anything about her... moodiness?"

The albino, as usual, watched the scene with the apparent interest of a rock. "I do not recall seeing her like this yesterday. I believe Suzuhara's provocation was the trigger for her current mood."

"Nah, she was like this already when we arrived." the teenager replied, "I thought something had riled her up yesterday after school, but it seems she just woke up with the feet on the wrong side of the bed."

"I do not understand what is the relation between the orientation of her feet and her mood."

The boy groaned, watching as his friend dodged a bunch from the irate redhead. "It's a manner of speaking, you shouldn't take it literally. I meant to say she woke up like this with no obvious reason."

The girl tilted her head in thought. "That seems to fit with her usual behaviour," she said, hesitating slightly before finishing her sentence. "her mood is known to swing in the time you take to say... 'Bitch'."

Kensuke almost let her comment slide. Almost. "Did you just use a curse word? Never mind that, I don't remember seeing you being so..." he tried, rather unsuccessfully, to find the right word to describe the girl's attitude.

"... I dislike her stance regarding her status. She parades herself with the belief she is a superior breed, yet her results do not match her talk, not to mention she sees herself as the team leader but lacks the people skills to actually perform that role. Shinji, on the other hand, proved himself a reliable element of the team. He is no leader, but he shows concern for the other elements."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"I do not know what you are trying to imply there." Rei replied.

Kensuke nodded. "I was trying to know if you thought that Shinji was someone you regarded as someone important on your life. Someone that you felt you could trust."

Strangely enough, the albino hesitated before answering. "He is always kind to everybody. I reckon it is hard not to trust him. I think I could describe him as... my first friend." she ten seemed to remember something, as she turned her head towards the bespectacled boy for the first time on the entire conversation. "I'd like to request your help for a moment."

The teenager raised an eyebrow. "Sure, what is it?"

"Commander Fuyutsuki asked me to... 'enjoy the little things'. He advised me to ask someone about the films currently available on the nearest cinema."

Kensuke nodded. "I know a thing or two about films, so I guess I could advise you on which one to pick, but we'd need to make quick stop at the cinema, after we're done with school for today, of course, to check which films are there... I mean, if you're all right with it."

Rei nodded. "That seems acceptable. It seems that Sohryu is threatening Suzuhara with a box cutter. I do not think that she realized there is no blade there."

"All right then." Kensuke said, before realizing something else. "Wait, WHAT? A box cutter? Where did she get that?" he said, turning his head towards the altercation and facepalming. "I swear it, Toji will be the death of me one of these days..."

* * *

**And done. I'm standardizing my writing formatting for all my stories, eventually all the chapters before this one will have this kind of formatting as well.**

**See ya!**


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